Consumer fraud

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Jurors have begun considering evidence in a federal trial of former employees of the truck stop chain Pilot Flying J. The employees are accused of conspiring to defraud customers in a rebate scam.The Knoxville News...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A defense lawyer representing the former president of Pilot Flying J truck stop chain has made his closing arguments in a case in which four former employees of the chain are accused of conspiring to defraud customers in...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Emails, recordings and testimony prove that four former employees of the truck stop chain Pilot Flying J conspired to defraud customers in a fuel rebate scam that has already resulted in more than a dozen guilty pleas, a...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Federal agents used a Pilot Flying J employee to try to get Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to make incriminating comments on the telephone, but court testimony suggests Haslam was aware he was making the call at...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A former truck stop company executive boasted in a secretly recorded conversation that Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam "loved it" when the sales team ripped off customers.The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the jury...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's relationship with one of the chief conspirators in a scheme to defraud customers at the truck stop chain controlled by the Haslam family is becoming a focus for the defense in the...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A jury was seated Monday in the federal fraud trial of four former executives at the truck stop chain controlled by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.The trial, which is...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — The Latest on the federal fraud trial of former members of the Pilot Flying J sales team (all times local):5 p.m.Federal prosecutors have outlined their case against former executives at Pilot Flying J as the result of...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The country's largest truck stop chain was flying high. Its CEO had recently bought a pro football team and his brother was the popular Republican governor of Tennessee hinting at aspirations for national office. Then...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A lawsuit accusing restaurant chain TGI Friday's violated consumer fraud laws with its drink pricing can't go ahead as a class action that could have included millions of members, but a similar case involving Carrabba's...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal judge on Friday approved an $11.2 million settlement between the marital infidelity website Ashley Madison and users who sued after hackers released personal information, including financial data and details of their...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — The complexity of a federal fraud case against former employees of a truck stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam could cause the trial to take up to six...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal magistrate on Thursday recommended against throwing out statements two executives made to federal agents when they raided the headquarters of a truck stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy...

The “can you hear me” con was one of the most-reported scams in the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker and it’s returned this spring with a travel-themed twist — scammers are pretending to be from Trip Advisor.

A new e-mail con tries to trick recipients into downloading a malware-infected attachment. Sounds standard, right? It is, except this con has its target’s name and address and claims to be monitoring their behavior online.

The Acting Inspector General of Social Security, Gale Stallworth Stone, is warning citizens about a nationwide telephone imposter phishing scheme. The Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General have received several reports from citizens across the country about persons receiving phone calls from individuals posing as OIG investigators.

Debt collection scams are one of the most frightening and persistent types of cons. Watch out for a new twist that claims to be collecting on cash advances. Here’s how the scam works. You receive an automated call.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former vice president of the truck stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam wants a judge to throw out statements he made to federal investigators.Scott...

This holiday season, don’t be tempted by too-good-to-be-true prices when shopping online. Many of these deals are scams, stealing both money and personal information from victims. With a long shopping list this holiday season, you are trying to save money by finding good deals online.

Simply ask for it. That’s the easiest way for an identity thief to steal your personal information. Each day, people fall victim to phishing scams through e-mails, texts or phone calls and mistakenly turn over important data.

California Senior Medicare Patrol warns there have been several reports of Medicare beneficiaries receiving urgently marked postcards with a special notice of pending eligibility to receive a Medicare-­covered back brace or knee support system.

Fast and easy forgiveness of your student loans. Sound too good to be true? That’s because it is. Watch out for scams that entice student loan holders by promising to erase their debt. How it works: You get an e-mail or spot a post on social media that claims a company can erase your student loan debt.

Do you have deterrents to prevent the loss or theft of your electronic assets, including bank account and other information in your personal computers, at home and when banking or shopping remotely online? “Think about all of the access points to and from your computer — such as Internet connections, email accounts and wireless networks,” said Michael Benardo, manager of the FDIC’s Cyber Fraud and Financial Crimes Section.

The act of sending money to friends, family and people you trust has grown extremely convenient with apps such as PayPal and Venmo. The way these apps work is you first create an account that has access to your credit card or debt card.

A new scam is targeting seniors, preying on fears that they could lose Social Security benefits. Seniors are scared into donating to this fake cause and providing their personal information. How the scam works You get a letter in the mail.

Red Bluff >> The Red Bluff Police Department issued a warning Wednesday regarding telephone scams claiming a kidnapping had taken place. In recent days four different incidents have been reported in the city.

Tehama County has received a few letters mailed by the Voter Participation Center and is aware of complaints received at the Secretary of State’s office regarding letters sent from a group called the Voter Participation Center, said Tehama County Clerk and Recorder Jennifer Vise.

The stereotype of the little old lady as scam victim is wrong and Millennials are actually more vulnerable to scams than Baby Boomers. That’s the conclusion of new research by the Better Business Bureau Institute for Marketplace Trust.

The Internal Revenue Service warns taxpayers against telephone scammers targeting students and parents during the back-to-school season and demanding payments for non-existent taxes, such as the “Federal Student Tax.

The Internal Revenue Service recently warned taxpayers to stay vigilant against an increase of IRS impersonation scams in the form of automated calls and new tactics from scammers demanding tax payments on iTunes and other gift cards.

Tax scammers work year-round; they don’t take the summer off. The IRS urges you to stay vigilant against calls from scammers impersonating the IRS. Here are several tips from the IRS to help you avoid being a victim.

Scammers are targeting college students with a new twist on a classic con. Con artists impersonate IRS agents and demand that students pay a fictional tax... or face arrest. How the scam works Your phone rings, and the Caller ID shows it’s from the IRS.

Attorney General Kamala Harris recently issued a consumer alert to Californians regarding home improvement scams. With summer here, many consumers may consider home remodeling, repair and maintenance projects.

The Internal Revenue Service recently issued a warning to taxpayers about bogus phone calls from IRS impersonators demanding payment for a non-existent tax, the “Federal Student Tax.” Even though the tax deadline has come and gone, scammers continue to use varied strategies to trick people, in this case students.

Buying a home this spring? If so, watch out for this cunning new con. A recent alert from the Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers are hacking into email accounts and instructing homebuyers to wire closing costs straight into their pockets.

Each year, people fall prey to tax scams. That’s why the IRS sends a list of its annual Dirty Dozen. Stay safe and be informed — don’t become a victim. If you get involved in illegal tax scams, you can lose money or face stiff penalties, interest and even criminal prosecution.

If you sell items online, watch out for this con. Scammers are fooling sellers with fake e-mails that appear to be payment confirmation messages from PayPal. How the Scam Works You post a big-ticket item — vehicle, computer, furniture — for sale on Craigslist, eBay or another online sales site.

With the holiday season and the end of the tax year approaching, Attorney General Kamala Harris has issued consumer tips on how Californians can make the most of their charitable giving and avoid scams.

Every day, millions of people get sucked into Internet scams and tricks that end up costing them dearly, something I was reminded of when I got a letter from a reader asking this simple question: How can I know if something on the Internet is legit or some kind of scam? It is a great question, the answer to which I found in my friend and colleague Doug Alton’s weekly Household Newsletter.

WASHINGTON >> Following the emergence of new variations of widespread tax scams, the Internal Revenue Service today issued another warning to taxpayers to remain on high alert and protect themselves against the ever-evolving array of deceitful tactics scammers use to trick people.

Suspicious 20200 block Gyle Road: A 73-year-old homeowner returned to his residence Tuesday to find a 30-day notice that he needed to vacate the property posted on his fence. Neighbors reported unknown persons had come to the property while he was gone and demanded the neighbors contact the man to get him off the property.

If you are planning to buy a house, lease a car or even get a new job, your credit score matters. Scammers know this, and they make a living preying on those desperate to improve their score. Lately, BBB Scam Tracker has received numerous reports from consumers targeted by credit repair scams.